THE MYTHS AND FACTS OF HOW TO GET A TENURE- TRACK ACADEMIC JOB AND - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE MYTHS AND FACTS OF HOW TO GET A TENURE- TRACK ACADEMIC JOB AND HOW TO GET TENURE Jose M. Cruz, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Business University of Connecticut

Outline

 HOW TO GET A TENURE-TRACK ACADEMIC JOB  HOW TO GET TENURE

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How to get a tenure-track academic job

 What is a faculty position and why do I want one?  What can I do to prepare NOW?  What am I looking for in a position?  How do I find & apply for positions?  What is involved in an interview & how do I prepare

for one?

 What are pitfalls to avoid?  What is involved in negotiating a position?

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What is a faculty position and why do I want one?

 Faculty position- Components may include:

 Research

 Grant writing  Ph. D. supervisory role

 Teaching  Service

 Choice: Academia vs. private sector

 Pros & cons for each  Understand what they mean to you  What do you want to do with your career?

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What am I looking for in a faculty position?

 Which components (Research, Teaching, and Service) at

what %?

 Environment & resources  Peers & collaboration  Big fish, small pond vs. Small fish, big pond  Mentoring of Ph.D. students  Hard vs. soft money  Tenure (does it exist & what does it mean?)  Limiting factors? (geographic, family, etc.)

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What can I do to prepare NOW?

 Build your CV with:

 Peer-reviewed journal publications  Experience writing parts of grant proposals  Presentations at conferences  Teaching  Service

 Think about developing a line of research

 “What have I done already?”  “Where am I headed?”

 Develop your teaching philosophy  Network: conferences

Get exposure to different components of faculty job!!!

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What can I do to prepare NOW?

 Letters of reference

 Talk to your referees about their letters early  You must have one from your advisor  You also need a teaching-specific reference  You should have at least 4 references  Should you send more if they ask for less?  Schools are adopting electronic upload

 This makes referees happier (less work)  It also avoids potential interpersonal conflicts  Follow up with referees (easy to get lost in the email system)

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How do I find & apply for positions?

 Faculty search cycle:

 Positions advertised in Fall

 Job Ads

 The Chronicle of Higher Education,  Listservs (INFORMS, POMS, DSI, etc.)

 Advisor's contacts

 Applications due in Late Fall, Winter

 Cover letter detailing research and teaching interests  CV, 3 references or letters, manuscripts  Get feedback from mentor

 Interview

 October-Jan: early interviews, job fairs at big conferences

 Feb-Mar: most interviews occur.

 Negotiate/Accept by late Spring /Summer

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What is involved in an interview & how do I prepare for one?

 The phone interview

 Question #1: What is it about our institution that

attracted you to us?

 Research, Research, Research  Know details of faculty you could work with  Know details of any special or interesting programs

they have

 Prepare questions to ask (tenure process)

 You will be talking to a group of people and won’t be able to

judge reactions or even how many people are listening

 Follow up after interview

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What is involved in an interview & how do I prepare for one?

 Campus Interview: 2 days

 Meet MANY people  1 hr. talk with questions  30 min-1 hr. meetings; lunches & dinners  Search committee meeting  Meet with students or teach class

 Grueling vs. Fun

 Dep. on personality, preparation, & confidence

 Logistics: airfare, hotel, dinner  Follow up after interview

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Prepared (Research) = Confident

 Rehearse your talk

 Make it interesting & get plenty of feedback

 Have different versions of your research prepared:

 the cocktail party version  the elevator conversation  the round-table quizzing

 Tailor your talk

 Know your audience  Know your interviewers  Pull & read bios, key papers  You want to get them talking about their research

 Ask to meet with specific faculty members

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Prepared (Teaching) = Confident

 Be enthusiastic  Do not trash your students  Teaching is as important as your research  Anyone who makes it to the interview will be a good

researcher, but teaching is where you can make the difference

 If you have teaching experience as a TA, say so (some

TAs only mark and proctor)

 Teaching is the lifeblood of the department

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Tips for interviewing

 Be there on time  Dress to impress (you cannot overdress)  Breakfast, lunch, dinner...

 Don’t drink alcohol  Don’t order spaghetti

 Ask questions!

 Teaching load  Interdisciplinary opportunities  The tenure process  Don’t ask about maternity leave or salary

 Need a “sound byte” describing your research  Self-confidence  Be yourself --no dating behavior!  Relax –it puts them at ease too

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What are pitfalls to avoid?

 Allowing enough time  How will you deal with illegal questions (married, kids,

politics, etc.)?

 How will you deal with a hostile interviewer? (don’t take it

personally)

 Don’t ask about salary... ...and dodge if you are asked  Don’t tell them about other interviews  Too many limitations on job search = no job  Offering controversial opinions

 Happens if you don’t know your audience

 Over-confidence = egotism & naiveté

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What is involved in negotiating a position?

 The dean or the department head will call you  Don’t “just say YES”  Consider what you really need to hit the ground running

 Office space & Equipment  Grant support, & Admin support  Startup $  Moving expenses, parking (?)  How much you teach right away  Salary/ Summer support

 Partner hire  Usually an iterative process

 By phone or formal letters

 At end: everyone signs a “letter of offer”

 You formally accept the offer

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HOW DO YOU GET TENURE? You’ve made your decision and have been hired to a tenure-track faculty position

What does tenure mean to you and why do you want it?

 What:

 Promise of lifetime employment made by your university.  However, there is no guarantee of respect, money, or

happiness.

 Why:

 Lifetime employment  Research independence - you can fully explore your field  Chance at making a difference in the world  Peer recognition  Lifetime of interaction with some of the brightest minds

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0 6 ≥12

Employment year Hired as Assistant Professor Annual probationary reappointment or dismissal (possible to skip 3rd & 5th reviews) Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, or contract ends Promotion to Professor (optional)

Faculty carrier path

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Myths about P&T

 When I was your age….  I just got tenure, so here’s how to do it…  They don’t read it, they just count stuff…  Just keep pumping out stuff from your dissertation…  Extension/engagement doesn't count, just research

(and maybe teaching)….

 Administrators want to deny tenure whenever they

can …

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External myths about P&T

 Public believes that “tenured faculty do not work very

hard”

 Legislatures,  Business entrepreneurs

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As a faculty member, your responsibilities will include:

 Teaching, and possibly developing, courses at

graduate and undergraduate levels.

 Conducting scholarly research in your field.  Developing significant external funding.  Collaborating effectively with other faculty members

in the department.

 Service to the university and outside community.

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Expect to:

 Write proposals for research grants and special

projects.

 Develop notes and review text books to teach your

students as effectively as possible.

 Publish journal articles, reports, papers, and books.  Keep up-to-date in your field.  Serve on councils, boards, and committees.  Produce qualified Masters and Ph.D. students.

In short, produce relevant knowledge and bring prestige to the university.

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So what is of primary importance in gaining tenure?

 *Favorable external reviews.*  Such reviews depend upon recognition, which comes

from:

 Refereed journal publications (journals highly ranked

in your field)

 How many and where?  Citations. Self citations do not count!  Research grants (NSF)  Graduate student supervision

 You are just expected to do well in the other criteria.

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Suggested strategies for tenure (1)

 Know your school tenure requirements  Solicit advice from senior faculty and those recently

promoted

 Publish journal articles immediately! You can get at least

three articles from your dissertation.

 Convert conference papers to journal articles.  Diversify your research portfolio  Avoid too many research collaborations  Avoid department politics  Choose your enemies wisely

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Suggested strategies for tenure (2)

 Become active in your professional organizations

(INFORMS, POMS, DSI).

 Organize conference sessions  Review paper & grant proposals

 Apply for grants  Apply for teaching and research awards  Apply for summer faculty research fellowships  Volunteer for university committees involving a

manageable level of effort (better to volunteer than be drafted).

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Suggested Strategies for tenure (3)

Start your tenure portfolio now

 Keep everything! Make a tenure file and put any

student, university, or outside organization thank you letters, certificates, best paper awards, etc.

 This will be your paper trail showing accomplishments

and service.

 Keep track of your research citations (Google Scholar)

 Keep teaching evaluations and careful track of

teaching/committee work

 Use the interim (three-year) review wisely

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Documentation of performance

• Teaching evaluations (students, peers, administrators)
• Research record (publications, grants, creative work)
• Service (U. committees, statewide service,

professional organizations)

Evidence of progress

• Job description and expectations
• Record of previous years’ recommendations at all levels
• Written evaluations by candidate, peers, and administrators

External evaluations

• Letters from outside experts (T&P cases)
• Letters from former students (optional, but…)

What is on your tenure portfolio?

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External peer review Department faculty review Department head’s recommendation College-level faculty review College dean’s recommendation University-level faculty review Review by Academic Affairs Trustees’ action Review by Provost (on appeal)

A B C

The review process

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The tenure process: What can go wrong?

 Weak tenure case

 A downward sloping publication

record

 Low citation count  Quality of publications  Quality vs. quantity  Poor funding record  Ethical concerns  Poor teaching

 Bias

 Multidisciplinary research  Cooperative rather than

independent investigations

 Type and place of

publication

 Composition and

representation of your tenure review committee

 Selection of your external

reviewers

 Department politics

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Life after the tenure process

 What does happen if you get tenure?  What does happen if you don’t get tenure?

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Conclusion

Stay organized Stay positive Enjoy the ride

 It can be done!

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Thank You!!!!

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